Coral is one of the most beautiful things you can find in Minecraft. It’s also one of the most difficult. While it needs warm and clear water in reality, in the game it’s not as demanding. Many coral blocks are mined every day in Minecraft’s sandbox environment. Some survive (hint: Silk Touch), while others are not as fortunate. Corals that have died have always been a worry, and in this game, they cannot be revived, only replaced. As a result, keeping a Minecraft coral alive can be a challenge. However, you can do a few things to increase your chances of success. If you don’t know how to keep a coral alive in Minecraft, our quick guide will surely help.
1. Carefully harvest the coral in Minecraft
When harvesting coral, it is important to be careful not to destroy it. If you do break a coral, it will not grow back. At the moment, the only way to pick up coral is to use a pickaxe with a Silk Touch enchantment in Minecraft. Coral spawns naturally as part of a reef in a warm ocean biome. You can also use bone meal on the sand, gravel, red sand, clay, dirt, or coarse dirt underwater to turn it into coral. It’s pivotal to know that you should use a bone meal on a water source block above the aforementioned blocks.
2. Pick the right location to keep Minecraft coral alive
Minecraft coral or coral decoration blocks can be placed anywhere underwater and be kept alive that way. However, at least one surrounding block must be a form of water for it to survive. Therefore, you can use a Water Bucket item to keep it alive above the surface. You only need to use the item (right-click on PC and Mac), let the water spread, and plant a coral next to a block that contains any amount of water. Never let the coral be without water. Otherwise, regardless of the type or color, it will irreparably turn into a dead coral, and you’ll have to replace it.
Optionally, create a shelter for the coral
Coral in nature is very sensitive to light, so you can create a shelter for it to live in if you want to imitate the real thing. Players can do this by placing blocks of obsidian or glass around where they want the coral to grow. Corals are also often preyed upon by fish and other aquatic creatures in reality, but not in Minecraft. Therefore, to protect the coral, you can, but don’t have to, choose to construct a fence or a wall.
3. Collect a coral in Minecraft properly when moving it
As coral is valuable and nice-looking, you can use it to decorate your home or sell it to other players. You can do this by using a Silk Touch-enchanted pickaxe. Trying to pick it up like a regular block will result in it being destroyed, so you should not try to relocate it unless you have the aforementioned tool. It will appear in your inventory afterward.
Remember that keeping coral alive is simple if you understand how it needs to be cared for. If you want to keep coral alive in Minecraft, provide it with a nearby water source. Do your best to replicate a natural underwater environment, and you should find that your coral stays healthy and vibrant. Its colors will surely enhance the feel of a nearby body of water or decoration you came up with.